It is often desirable to control access to devices and computer systems that provide document services. By document services, it is meant the capabilities and facilities for the processing and manipulation of documents, whether in digital or hardcopy form. Examples of document services comprise printing, copying, faxing, electronic mail, electronic file access, scanning and document processing. An example of a document processing service is optical character recognition.
Numerous approaches have been developed to control access to devices and computer systems that provide document services. These approaches include key-cards, biometric access control systems, traditional computer and network authentication systems such as password access control and device access lists, and coin-boxes requiring payment, and hence de facto authorization for access, at the point of need.
However, these approaches do not readily provide a mechanism to simply, rapidly and cost-effectively provide access to document services on one or more devices while still providing a simple means for distribution of the document-services access mechanism and the centralized management of document services access.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved method for providing access to document services.